Jayhawks Head To Tulsa
March 2, 2006
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
FIRST PITCH
Kansas softball (5-9) continues its month-long road stint this weekend at the Best Western Airport Festival in Tulsa, Okla. The Jayhawks will face five teams — Stephen F. Austin, Northern Iowa, #17 Nebraska, Notre Dame and Tulsa — in the three-day event at the Donna J. Hardesty Sports Complex. The tournament is the Jayhawks’ last of four road trips to open the 2006 season. KU is slated to play 60 regular-season games this year with only 22 of those contests in Lawrence. The Jayhawks, picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 Conference this season, will play 20 games away from home before opening at Arrocha Ballpark against Missouri State on March 8.
Live Gametracker will be available for all games.
PALM SPRINGS LEFTOVERS
Kansas softball finished 1-4 in the Palm Springs Classic last weekend in Palm Springs, Calif. … KU shutout Cal State Fullerton, 4-0, and lost one-run games to #3 UCLA (4-3) and UC Santa Barbara (2-1) … Senior middle infielders Jessica Moppin and Destiny Frankenstein led KU at the plate in Palm Springs with four hits apiece and .286 batting averages … Frankenstein leads the Jayhawks with a .405 hitting percentage on the season … Junior hurler Kassie Humphreys (3-5) held a team-best 1.47 ERA and struck out 16 in 19 innings of work … Humphreys struck out seven and allowed just two hits in the complete-game shutout of Fullerton.
THIS WEEK’S OPPONENTS
#17 NEBRASKA… The Huskers improved to 8-1 with a doubleheader win over Missouri Western Wednesday in Lincoln, Neb. KoKo Tacha and Carmen Kier each drove in three runs as Nebraska rolled to its eighth straight win with a 9-1 run-rule victory over Missouri Western in the second game. Tacha finished the game 2-for-3 with a career-high two doubles, while Kier went 1-for-3. In the circle, Molly Hill (1.15 ERA) improved to 5-0 on the year, tossing a complete-game five-hitter and striking out six. Ashley DeBuhr (3-1) splits time in the circle with Hill and posts a 2.20 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 28.2 innings. Lizzy Aumua leads the Husker offense with a .697 batting average, 23 hits and nine runs scored. KU and NU split the Big 12 series in 2005 and have not met in non-conference action since 2004.
NORTHERN IOWA.. The Panthers (3-5-1) claimed third place in the Bradley Invitational with a 4-1 win over Northern Illinois on Sunday, capping a weekend that saw the Panthers finish 2-2. UNI opened play at Dragon’s Dome in Pekin, Ill., with a 4-3 loss to the Huskies, but bounced back Saturday to defeat Western Illinois, 12-3, in a five-inning game. Purdue got the best of UNI with a 6-1 win in the nightcap Saturday, but the win over the Huskies Sunday improved the Panthers’ record to 3-5-1 overall. Designated player Stephanie Aguero leads UNI at the plate with a .360 batting average, nine hits and a .680 slugging percentage through nine games. Uju Ibekwe (2-1) paces the Panthers in the circle with a 2.13 ERA, 17 strikeouts and a .205 opponent batting average in 23.0 innings of work. UNI’s last win over the Jayhawks was March 10, 1996 (3-2).
NOTRE DAME… Notre Dame (5-4) finished the adidas Golden Panther Invitational Tournament in Miami, Fla., with a 3-1 record. The Irish defeated Buffalo (1-0), FIU (5-0), Memphis (4-1) and dropped a rematch with FIU, 5-4, on Saturday evening. Senior pitcher Heather Booth (2-3) was named the MVP of the abbreviated tournament, earning two victories while allowing one run and striking out 22 batters in 15 innings. Booth holds a team-best 2.76 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 33 innings of work this season. Third baseman Linda Kohan leads the Irish at the plate with a .357 batting average, 10 hits and a .714 slugging percentage. UND head softball coach Deanna Gumpf and her husband John welcomed their second child, Tatum Elizabeth, at approximately 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22. Gumpf expects to rejoin the team on the road full time during Spring Break.
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN… The Ladyjacks (5-6) gave up a two-run lead in the seventh inning to fall to Northwestern State, 6-5, Wednesday in Nagadoches, Texas, in its opening Southland Conference series finale. Utility player Lee Lara leads SFA at the plate with a sizzling .417 batting average, 15 hits and four stolen bases in 11 starts. The Ladyjacks feature five pitchers, including Tracie Moore (2-1), who has a team-leading 0.00 ERA and .109 opponent batting average. Nicole Carter (1-4) has made five appearances in the circle (21.1 innings), has a 10.17 ERA and team-high 20 strikeouts. The Jayhawks have won five straight against the Ladyjacks. The teams’ last meeting was March 7, 1997 (KU won, 9-1).
TULSA… The Golden Hurricane (8-3) have won four of their last five games and recorded a season-high 14 hits, including a pair of home runs, against North Texas to win the Holiday Inn Select-Tulsa Festival last weekend. Reigning Conference USA Pitcher of the Week Maren Genow won two of the contests, helping lead Tulsa to the title. Genow (4-0, 1.73 ERA) opened the tournament with 12.1 scoreless innings, allowing only a pair of runs in the championship game for a 0.98 ERA on the weekend. Earlier this season, she became the first TU player to record 50 career wins. The Tulsa offense is hitting a hot .326 on the season with shortstop Kelli McGlasson leading the way with a .457 batting average and 16 hits. Tulsa defeated KU in the teams’ last meeting Feb. 6, 2005 (3-2).
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